Word is on Battle.Net that StarCraft 2: Heard of the Swarm is coming on March 12th, 2013. The news comes ahead of any official announcement from Blizzard, who is expected to make an official announcement as soon as today or tomorrow.

Heart of the Swarm, the long-awaited expansion pack, was supposed to be targeted for release late this year; but after beta testing, word was that the game would not make it out this year and instead would arrive next year at some point. Activision had previously announced that the expansion pack would arrive sometime in the first half of 2013, with more specific details to follow.

Battle.Net will be offering a Deluxe Digital Edition of the expansion pack that will include a number of bonus items able to be used in StarCraft 2, World of Warcraft, and Diablo 3, depending on the item.

While seeming to be working very hard at making smart decisions to get things where they need to be, THQ has apparently encountered another bump in the road. THQ President, Jason Rubin, has confirmed that at least two titles will be bumped into next year to allow these titles to reach their full potential.

Metro: Last Light and Company of Heroes 2 have both been pushed back to March. Originally, at one point both titles were set to be released later this year, but neither had a confirmed final release date since the last announced delay; and while the date is later than THQ initially planned, the company believes that this is the right decision.

In addition to Metro: Last Light and Company of Heroes 2, Rubin also announced that South Park: The Stick of Truth would also be moved back from its originally announced date of March 5th. Right now, the company is only saying that they expect the game to be released in early fiscal 2014, which translates into second quarter of 2013 for those trying to keep score at home.

These three releases are big for Rubin, as he has pointed out these are three releases that he has had a direct impact upon since joining the company. The fact that he believes the titles need more time to be market-ready is troubling, but not really unexpected, as Rubin has brought a much higher set of standards that many believe were previously from THQ.

To underline how important these next releases are for THQ, you have to look no further than the release of Darksiders II. After several delays, Darksiders II was finally released; and while it has sold 1.4 million copies, sales have been below expectations, according to Brian Farrell, THQ’s CEO on the company’s recent investor call.

The company had expected much more from the title and it just didn’t deliver, despite solid previews and good pre-order bookings. Reviewers didn’t score the game well, which it is believed contributed to the lower than expected sales numbers. The decreased sales of Darksiders II has really put the pressure on THQ, and THQ will need the next releases to do well; this is believed to be the real reason for giving the titles more time.

That Apple could flog a dead horse with just them ordinary retinas to its followers is no secret, but latest analyst reports claim the fruit themed master of all things shiny and overpriced will rake in some serious dough on tablets and phones.

Canaccord Genuity’s analyst Michael Walkley apparently thinks Apple will flog 101.6 million iPads in 2013. Furthermore, he thinks the company will also sell 194 million iPhones.

In comparison, Walkley claims Amazon will sell 10.7 million tablets in the same year, while Apple’s bitter rival Samsung will sell 8.4 million. Additionally, Samsung is expected to sell 303.6 million handsets in 2013.

Interestingly enough, adding up the iPhone figures with those of Samsung, the two will control more than half of the smartphone market. Yes, that’s on top of the higher than 100 percent operating profits the two managed for two quarters in a row.

Some leaked artwork for Grand Theft Auto 5 is now telling some tales that we have been waiting to confirm. The biggest appears to be the news that we will not see Grand Theft Auto 5 arrive till the spring of 2013, which actually is about what we expected.

What might be more interesting is that it would seem that the game (at least initially) will only be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In the advertising artwork we have seen in this leaked batch, there are no logos or mention of a PC or Wii U release, which is at least surprising.

The majority of what we have seen so far in this marketing art work is not really anything we have not seen before; but we will have to wait for Rockstar to release more detail to give us official confirmation (which, in fact, we expect to be within the next week or two). At that time we expect they will spill their guts, at least to confirm platforms and a release date. However, based on what we know so far we don’t suspect it is going to change much from the upcoming announcement.

While Microsoft has been talking up its new Office 2013 for Windows, one thing it hasn’t been talking about is when we might see a new version of Office for Mac. Microsoft has confirmed that it has no version of Office 2013 in development for Mac and has no details of when the next version of Office will be released.

Microsoft did, however, add that they plan to update Office for Mac 2011 with a Service Pack that will be include the additional features of support for SkyDrive and Office 365. It has yet to be determined when this will arrive and what else this Service Pack might include.

The news isn’t surprising in the fact that Microsoft has always given priority to the Windows version of Office on the Windows platform, but with the growth of the Mac platform and the much larger sales for Mac Office 2011 because of the addition of Outlook for Mac, the news no plans for a new version is disappointing and a bit puzzling. (Sources tell us to expect Office for Mac 2015 as the next version we will see on the OS X platform.)

In addition, the rumored version of Office for the iPad appears to be on hold for at least the time being, with priority being given to the Windows tablet market and the version of Office that is targeted for that tablet market. Microsoft has stopped short of admitting that they have a version for the iPad in development or plan to release one, but sources continue to say that Microsoft will release an Office for iPad at some point. Microsoft as usual offered no comment.

Cedar Trail is the current Atom platform you know from processors such as D2700, D2550 and D2500 on desktop side and Atom N2800 and N2600 on the mobile side.

These are 32nm parts that are supposed to last for more than a year. Our sources are suggesting that there is a new Atom on the horizon, made in 22nm but scheduled to arrive only in Q4 2013.

This is more than a year from now and Atom codenamed Bay Trail could make an appearance in September or October 2013. Naturally, this is if it doesn’t get hit by delays.

Cedar trail is selling well, so there is no need for Intel to rush new parts. However, the company is also planning for a 22nm version of Atom for phones and tablets in 2013, since these parts have much higher priority compared to netbook and desktop parts.

Intel is sometimes reluctant to embrace new technologies right away. Namely, it still clings to WiMax, a standard it helped develop, which somewhat lost the battle against LTE, the real 4G internet.

Nevertheless, Intel thinks that Centrino Advanced N + Wimax 6250 in 2x2 configuration is the answer for the high-end Wireless market. We're talking about an 802.11 AGN adapter codenamed Kilmer Peak and one can easily spot that Intel isn't planning on supporting the new 802.11ac standard and much higher speeds at least until Q2 2013.

There won’t be any new Wifi card to fit this need and we are surprised to see that Intel still resists making a combo Wifi card that incorporates 4G as well. They have the means to do it, but it probably won’t be ready this year. Intel will do 4G on phones and tablets but with a next generation processor, which is scheduled for next year.

The alternative to Kilmer Peak in the WiMax and Wifi role will be 1x2 BGN Kelsey Peak, but since these are notebook Wlan cards, we doubt that you will have freedom of choice. As these things usually go, manufacturers simply end up using what they think has the best price performance ratio.

The Relic Entertainment-developed Company of Heroes 2 will use the Eastern Front as its focus during WWI, confirms publisher THQ. The game will be known as Company of Heroes 2: Eastern Front when it arrives on dealer shelves.

The game will be powered by Relic’s Essence 3.0 Engine, which will bring a number of new features to the table. The game promises a much higher level of graphic detail and better physics, along with a destructible environment.

THQ says that the game is targeted for an early 2013 release on the PC. It is not planned for console release, as are most RTS titles. Development of the title is in full swing at Relic and the developer is looking to deliver a worthy successor to the previous Company of Heroes title. Let’s hope that THQ can continue to make it till 2013, as this is one title we surely want to see reach release.

According to a new report by DigiTimes, sources close to the information technology industry's top PC manufacturers are giving hints that Intel's Thunderbolt technology could very well become a standard for PCs in 2013.

The manufacturers in question include Lenovo, Asustek and many others who are preparing to launch 22nm Ivy Bridge-based motherboards on Intel's upcoming Panther Point chipset (see: Intel 7-series chipsets). While Intel's current Thunderbolt spec for Sandy Bridge-based motherboards on the Cougar Point chipset (see: Intel 6-series) is based on copper cabling, manufacturers expect Intel will shift to optical cables for Ivy Bridge which will bring higher bandwidth and longer cable lengths.

Of course, DigiTimes is clear to note that Thunderbolt optical cables likely won't be adopted for Ivy Bridge-based motherboards until the end of 2012, meaning the first few months of initial products in Q2 and Q3 may feature conventional copper cabling.

Rumors that the Xbox 720 will arrive with a 2013 launch date isn’t really that much of a surprise at this point; but news that Microsoft is planning to launch the console as an all digital offering with no disc drive could be premature.

According to some rumors, the new 720 will feature some sort of solid-state card storage technology. While this solid-state technology is said to be interchangeable (bringing up images of the gaming cartridges of old) it could actually be something more like SD cards with a proprietary or licensed format.

While flash memory has come to a point where this would at least be possible, we think that no disc drive could actually mean “optional” or “add-on.” According to our sources, Microsoft may just offer the drive as a separate add-on, which will allow the play of old 360 disc-based titles. It is believed that Microsoft is very reluctant not to offer at least some backward compatibility, after learning a tough lesson with backward compatibility and the first Xbox.

It is unknown if Microsoft would sell these blank interchangeable solid-state storage cards or, like the cartridges of old, games will be sold on them as well. If they opt to go the blank route, then consumers would just buy the blank interchangeable solid-state storage cards and download the games onto them. We think it is far too soon to see Microsoft make broadband a requirement for the use of the 720. We think games on these interchangeable, solid-state storage cards will still be for sale at retail, but sources tell us that nothing is decided as of yet. However, the era of games being released on physical discs could be at an end when the 720 arrives.

It should be noted that we are still hearing from another group of sources suggesting that the information of no disc drive was bunk; and Microsoft is still planning a Blu-ray drive for the 720 as the delivery medium for new title releases, and the interchangeable solid-state storage card system will instead replace the hard disk as the storage medium for the unit. With flash memory being priced as low as it is, this would be the best solution for the 720 going forward to rid itself of hard drive failures.